This invention relates to an apparatus for handling granular material, and in particular to an articulated grain handling apparatus.
Usually, grain is loaded into bins using an auger which is mounted on a frame carried by wheels. The wheels may be driven so that the auger is independently mobile, or alternatively, the wheels are not driven and the auger must be towed or pushed through a variety of terrain from one location to another. In either case, if the individual farmer has a plurality of grain bins, the loading of such bins is a time consuming and backbreaking task which generally requires more people than are available in a busy harvest season. Attempts have been made to simplify grain bin filling and emptying devices.
Examples of auger devices includes those disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,460,661, issued to H. A. Tintes on Feb. 1, 1949; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,524,169, issued to L. J. Hodges on Oct. 3, 1950. The Tintes device is a fixed device, i.e., the device is intended for use in one location, and includes a tripod for supporting an auger. The Hodges elevator is somewhat similar to the Tintes device except that Hodges replaces the Tintes tripod with a movable tower. Neither of the devices in question is particularly adapted to load or unload a plurality of fixed grain bins.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for handling granular material for use with, for example, a plurality of receptacles to facilitate loading and unloading of such receptacles, i.e. to reduce loading and unloading time and effort to a minimum.